In the three years since Marci Aston made the leap from employee to being her own boss, the owner and chief barber and stylist at Classic Beauty & Barber has come a long way.

Marci is a graduate of Aveda Institute Provo. Before opening her own business, she worked for Lucky’s Barbershop in Payson, a job that helped her build her barbering skills as well as a clientele base large enough to support her own pursuits in business.

Today, her business smarts are as sharp as the tools of her trade.

In December 2014, Classic Beauty & Barber was named Business of the Month by the Payson Chamber of Commerce, an honor that came well-earned. Marci had been a committed part of the Chamber, first as member and then, soon after, as a member of the Chamber’s Executive Board.

Her position on the board put her in direct contact with other business owners throughout Payson, exchanging ideas and developing a network of colleagues to brainstorm new ideas to improve upon the old.

She also devoted a fair amount of time contributing to the Chamber’s programs and events, including helping with the Business Expo, an ALS Ice Bucket Challenge event, Pumpkin Hunt, and ribbon-cutting ceremonies,as well as taking the helm over coordination of networking meetings. Her people skills and business knowledge developed in the process.

Honest and characteristically to the point, she admits that running a business is not always easy. “My blood, sweat, and tears went into my shop,” she said.

But she loves the freedom it provides, independence that allows her to approach her craft based on her own volition, to create a work environment in which she can be proud, and gain independence from a set wage. “It’s a lot of work and stress, but it’s worth it,” Marci said.

Her struggles have also given rise to a wealth of knowledge and capacities in areas that may not have crossed her path had she considered a different path. Having had to learn how to budget, perform accounting duties, and deal with taxes on top of her skill as a barber. “I’ve gotten really good with math,” she quipped.

She has also become an incredibly responsible person. “Everybody tells me I’ve got a good head on my shoulders,” she said.

It is, in part, Marci’s traditional barber and precision cuts that maintain a loyal clientele base. They like her consistency, she said. And her total recall. She rarely forgets a name, seldom forgets a face, and never forgets the type of cut they like.

Marci’s complement in style is Breea Mahaffey Snelson. Breea brought with her an exciting balance to the types of services and the shop’s environment when she started working at Classic Beauty & Barber in August. The two have since developed into a “dream team,” they remarked in near unison.

Like Marci, Breea graduated from Provo’s Aveda Institute. However, she was drawn toward the more modern trends in hairstyles. High fashion color is high among them and she has the added background of knowledge when it comes to hues and which products to use, having worked for two years at Sally Beauty in Payson.

“I do a little bit of everything,” Breea explained, adding that in addition to loving to cut hair, extreme coloring is among her passions in the field. Hair extensions is another.

Marci refers to the Classic Beauty & Barber “Dream Team’s” counterpart as her “personal adviser,” and is not shy to confess she admires and appreciates her added business smarts.

“It’s nice to have an employee that works and wants to work,” she added, noting that Breea’s self-motivation is augmented with her willingness to work with her for the business’s betterment, and not simply her own.

“I’m building my business,” Breea replied, referring to growing her clientele base at the shop, “but I’m willing to help hers.”

As the business celebrates its third-year anniversary this month, Marci and Breea would like to show their gratitude to the public for their kind support. Friends and clients--old and new--are invited to stop by Classic Beauty & Barber at 875 East 100 North, Payson, during their “Guest Appreciation Week,” November 16-28. They promise a free gift, a chance to win a grand prize in a special drawing they are hosted, and the chance to get to know two talented women--a dream team in business and talent--with remarkable style.

Run your ad online and in print. Place your classified advertisement in The Payson Chronicle today at paysonads.com. Contact Mike at thepaysonchronicle@msn for further information.